Do your children have lice?

Tuesday

Are lice currently crawling through the Cleveland County Schools system?

Are lice currently crawling through the Cleveland County Schools system?

Several parents have contacted The Star in recent days to report receiving letters from their children’s schools that head lice are present in the schools.

Head lice in the school system are not uncommon, but the system’s nursing supervisor is not aware of lice being a current widespread issue in the system, said Donna Carpenter, public information officer for Cleveland County Schools.

“It comes and goes from time to time,” Carpenter said. “It usually is more common in wintertime when people are wearing hats.”

Carpenter said individual schools may have instances of lice without it being a systemwide problem.

So, what is lice, how do they spread and how much are they a concern?

Here’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports:

What are head lice?

The head louse is a parasitic insect found on the head, eyebrows and eyelashes of people. Head lice feed on human blood several times a day and live close to the human scalp.

They are roughly 2-3 mm long and infest the head, most commonly behind the ears, and neckline and attach eggs to the bases of hair shafts.

They are not known to spread disease.

How should schools handle it?

Students with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school. They should be treated and can return to class when treatment begins.

Head lice are a nuisance but have not shown they can spread disease.

The American Association of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses do not endorse policies that require a child to be 100 percent free of lice before they return to school.

How do lice operate?

They move by crawling. They cannot hop or fly.

Who is at risk for head lice?

They’re found worldwide. In the United States, head lice infestation is most common among children attending child care, elementary schools and their family members.

How many are affected?

An estimated 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3-11 years old. Infestations are less common among African-American children.

What are the signs and symptoms of infestation?

Tickling, itching feeling of something moving in the hair, irritability and difficulty sleeping, sores on the head caused by scratching.

How do lice spread?

They’re spread by direct contact with the hair of an infested person.

Spread by contact with clothing or personal items of an infested person is uncommon.

Personal hygiene and cleanliness at home and in school does not typically impact head lice.

Dogs, cats and other pets do not typically affect the spread of lice.

How is lice treated?

Both over-the-counter and prescription medications are available for treatment of head lice infestations.

Do health departments track lice infestations?

Most health departments do not require reporting of infestations. But it’s recommended that instances of lice infestation be reported to school nurses.

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